The Metaphysics of Magicians

Tolkien is an unusual writer. In some ways he's modern, in other ways very pre-modern. Augustine believed that we achieve true freedom not by doing what we want, but by conforming our wills to the will of God so that nothing in us rebels against him. But if we're going to understand the modern way of thinking about these issues, we might turn to another literary work: Christopher Marlow's play Dr. Faustus.